Monday, September 6, 2010

James Bond and Ice Cream

Yesterday we had a really slow day which was a nice change of pace. Technically Sundays are our days off, but this rarely happens. There is always something that needs to be done. Yesterday though, we really didn’t have much work to do at all.

Nick left early and went for a moto ride with one of his friends and got to see a new part of Haiti that we had not yet been too. I’m a bit jealous, but I’ll make him take me some day! While he was gone I got caught up on laundry which isn’t fun, but always makes me feel good to have done.

After Nick got home we put two of the kids in slings and took them for a walk which is always fun. Shortly after that Nick and I took the moto in town hoping to find ice cream. Nick had seen a picture of an ice cream cone painted on the side of some random building and was convinced that they must sell it. Half way there I asked him if he knew whether or not this was a clean place to get food and he mentioned that he wasn’t even sure if they actually sold ice cream or not. This is after we had been talking about going there for about 2 weeks.

We drove around for a while before we found the random building that he had passed before. We went inside and guess what, no ice cream. The guy told us that we could get some from the gas station though which was across the street, so we weren’t totally out of luck!

We each got a cup of chocolate and were surprised by the amount that they shoved into it. There was a lot there. It had a slight taste of orange to it and was a bit freezer burnt, but hey, I’m definitely not complaining!

After we bought it we were looking around for a place to sit and the cashier told us to go to the seating area. This was in the back of the gas station and had one way tint on all the windows so that you couldn’t see in. There was a bouncer/security guard at the door holding a shot gun. We stepped inside this quazi secret area and were blown away by what we saw and the rush of cold air. There was a beautiful 40 some inch flat screen tv with satellite hooked up to it. There were 4 Haitian men sitting in there watching an old cheesy James Bond movie and laughing a lot. I’m sure they couldn’t understand it as it was all in English, but I guess you don’t really need to hear the words to figure out whats going on in James Bond. We sat with them enjoying our ice cream and the air conditioning. This was the first time in months that I was actually some what cold. I have never even been cool since being here. We are pretty much always hot and sweaty! Nothing ever lasts for ever though. We had to go back out into the heat and make the 30 min (4 mile) drive down the bumpy dusty “road” to home.

It was a great break to get away for an hour and not only enjoy some ice cream but also spend some time together. This was the first time since we celebrated our anniversary almost a month ago that we were able to get away. It was also the first time I have been outside the gates (minus the late night trip to the hospital) in several weeks. It’s amazing how just a short little break will completely regenerate you and help you feel fresh again! Last night was the first time that I felt energized for a while!

On another note, payroll went much better this month! Our creole was a lot better so there weren’t hardly any translation issues. We also started to implement in a new program that Nicks dad made which makes the process a little easier. There are two parts to pay roll, one which requires me to be there and one which requires Nick. This is great because it’s the one task that we get to do together. Even though we only talk about work stuff, it’s still great to spend the time together. I spent more time with Nick this past weekend than I have in a long time and it was great!!

We both grew up in Washington State and have been married since August of 2008. Nick has a degree from WSU in Business and Nikki from WWU in Human Services. We are the field directors of an infant care center called Children of the Promise in Cap Haitien, Haiti. We have lived here since June 2010. We are adopting a little boy named Eventz and are blessed to be his parents!